Electric socket-switch.



No. 892,375. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1908.

H. HUBBELL. I

ELECTRIC SOCKET SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

HARVEY HUBBELL, OF 'BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO HARVEY HUBBELL, INCORPORATED, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC SOGKIET-SWITCH..

7 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 30, 1908.

Application filed June 7, 1907. Serial No. 377,764.

To all whom it may clmcem:

Be it known that I, HARVEY 'HUBBELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, Stateof Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Electric Socket-Switch, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric socket switches and has for its object to sim lify and cheapen their construction and to V greatly improve their operation in use.

With these ends in view I have devised the simple and novel electric socket switch of which the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings is a specification, reference characters being used to indicate the several parts.

Figure 1 is an elevation of my novel switch detached from the socket shell, the contact bar being in position to close the circuit; Fig. 2 a vertical section on the line 22 in Fig. 1, a lamp being in engagement with the screw shell; Fig. 3 a transverse section on the line 33 in Fig. 2 lookingdown; Fig. 4 an inverted plan view of the contact bar detached showin the rollers in place therein; Fi 5 a view 0 the contact plate detached; ig. 6 an inverted sectional view similar to Fig. 3

illustrating a variant form of construction;-

Fig. 7 a detail view corresponding with Fig. 6 showing thecontact plate from a point of view at right angles to the point of view in Fig. 6, the contact bar having been given a uarter turn; Fi 8 a detail sectional view "lustrating a third form of the invention; Fig. 9 an inverted sectional view illustrating a ourth form of the invention; Fig. 10 an elevation of the shaft detached and Fig. 11

. is a face view of the contact bar corresponding with Figs. 6. and 7.

10 and 11 denote the Iparts of a block of insulatin material whic position 'es within the socket shell (not shown).

12 denotes the contact plate as a whole. This contact plate com rises an attaching plate 13 which is secure to one of the parts of the block by means of a screw 14, a plate 15 lying at rightangles to the attaching plate and carrying a binding screw 16 which also engages one of the parts of the block and a plate 17 lying at right angles to the attaching plate and parallel with plate 15, said plate 17 being provided with a plurality of projections, in the present instance four, indicated in the assembled by 18 and between the projections with rounded depressions indicated by 19. 20 denotes the other binding screw which passes through a spring contact plate 22 and enages one of the parts of the block. The

ee end ofspring contact plate 22 extends inward into position to be engaged by the hub 23 of an incandescent lamp base, indicated'by 24.

25 indicates the screw shell which receives the lamp base and is secured to the block by screws 26 (see Figs. 3, 6 and 9 and dotted lines in Fig. 1). These screws also secure the parts of the block to ether.

It will, of course, e understood that the parts of the block are provided with suitable recesses to receive the parts of the switch. These recesses are not, however, indicated specifically by numbers, as their shape and arrangementmay be varied greatly without affecting the principle of the invention.

27 denotes the shaft which is mounted to rotate in either direction and also, in the first, second and third forms, to move longitudinally in lates 15 and 17. The shaft is provided witi a key 28 which is molded thereon or otherwise rigidly secured thereto and with airs of lugs indicated respectively by 29 an 30.

31 denotes the contact bar-which is provided with a hole 32 to receive the shaft and with slots 33 extending diametrically from the hole which receive loosely lugs 30 on the shaft so as to permit forward movement of the contact bar inde endently of the shaft. The shaft is provide with a collar 53, outside lugs 36, which bears on the outer face of the contact bar. The contact bar is pro vided with contact arms 34 for a purpose presently to be described. The co'ntactbar 1s referably, but not necessarily, provlded wit rollers which engage the projections and recesses on the contact plate. In the first form the contact bar is provided with sockets 35 which receive loosely rollers 36, said rollers being ada ted to ride up projections 18 on plate 17 when the shaft is rotated in either direction and then having passed the projections to drop downward mto the depressions. The slots 33 in the contact bar receive the lugs 30 on the shaft loosely enough to permit forward movement of the contact bar independently of the shaft when the rollers have been caused to ride up the projections and past the apexes thereof.

I u on the shaft engage plate 15 of. the contact p ate and shaft.

39 denotes a spring contact plate which is adapted to be enga ed by contact arms 34 and is secured in face between the -screw shell and the block by one of the screws 26 or limit the inward movement of the in any suitable manner.

The passage of the current is as followzs From binding screw 16 to contact plate 12 and through the rollers to the contact bar and contact arms, from the contact arms to s contact plate 39, the screw shell and t e lam base; from the lamp it passes by means 0 hub 23 and spring contact late 22 to binding screw 20. Figs. 1 and 2's ow the position of the parts when the circuit is closed. To open the circuit, the shaft is given a quarter turn in either direction. This causes the rollers to ride up the projections' and having passed them the spring will force the shaft and contact bar inward again and the rollers will drop into the depressions forward of the projections just passed. This will place the contact bar and the contact arms in a position at right angles to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in which neither of the contact arms will be in engagement with spring contact late 39. A quarter turn of the shaft from t is position either forward or backward will place the contact bar and contact arm in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in which one of the contact arms is in engagement with spring contact plate 39.

In the form illustrated in F' 's. 6, 7 and 11, the structure differs in that t e projections 18 and depressions 19 are on the contact bar instead of on the contact plate and face inward instead of outward and the rollers are carried by the contact plate. In this form contact plate 12 comprises an attaching plate 13, a plate 15 at right angles thereto in which is a binding screw 16 which engages one of the parts of the block as before. At the outer end of the contact plate is a head 40 in which rollers 41 are journaled. The sprin 37 bears against a washer 38 as before an against a washer 55 which in turn engages the head. 42 denotes the contact bar WllICh is provided with contact arms 34 and with projections 18 and depressions 19 which are engaged by the rollers in the same manner as in the other form except that the parts are reversed. The operation in use is precisely the same as in the other form.

r The form illustrated in Flg. 8 differs from the first form only in that the rollers which are indicated by 43 are provided with trunnions 44 which are socketed in the contact bar. 1 Aside from this change the operation is recisely the same as in the other form.

the form illustratedin Fig. 9, the contact plate and contact bar are located in a recess 1n the block and at the inner end of the shaft. In this form the contact late 12 com rises an attaching plate 13, and a plate 45 t ough which the shaft passes and which is provided with projections 18 and de ressions 19. 46 denotes the contact bar w ich is provided with transverse slots 47 which are engaged by the ends of a pin 48 which project from shaft 27. .The rollers 49 are ournaled in the contact bar and engage the projections and depressions as in the other forms. In this form, the shaft has no longitudinal or endwise movement but rotary movement onl the end of the shaft being flattened or ot erwise enlarged, as at 54, to retain it against other than rotary movement by engagement with plate 45. At the outer end of the contact plate is a plate 50 at right angles to the attachin plate through which the shaft passes and Wii ch is provided with an arm 51 which carries a-bindmg screw 52. Thespring 37 in this form bears against late 50 and against the back of the contact ar. The contact bar is loosely engaged by the lugs 30 upon the shaft the same as in the other forms, this engagement not being shown in the drawings. When 'the shaft is rotated, the contact bar is carried thereby and the rollers ride up projections against the power of the spring the same as in the other forms, the contact bar sliding 'lon itudinally on the shaft as is permitted y the pin and slot engagement. When the rollers pass the to s of the projections, the sprin will force t e contact bar inward instant y and cause the rollers to engage the depressions as in the other forms. The passage of the current is the same as in the other forms.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A socketswitch comprising a contact bar and a contact plate, one of said parts being provided with alternate projectlons and depressions and the other part engaging said projections and depressions, a shaft loosely engaging the contact bar for the purpose set forth, and means for holding the contact bar and contact plate in engagement.

2. A socket switch comprising a contact bar and a contact plate, one of said parts being provided with alternate projections and depressions and the other part'wlth rollers adapted to engage said projections and depressions, a shaft loosely engaging the contact bar and means for holding the rollers closely in engagement with the correspondmg par-ts.

3. A socket switch comprising a contact bar having a hole and slots extending therefrom and a contact plate, one of said parts being provided with alternate projections and depressions and the other part engaging said projections and depressions, a shaft passing through the hole in the contact bar and having lugs loosely engaging the slots for the purpose set forth, and a spring surrounding the shaft and acting to retain the contact bar and contact plate in engagement.

4. A socket switch comprising a contact bar having sockets and rollers in said sockets and a contact late provided with alternate projections an -depressions, a shaft loosely engaging the contact bar and means for retainin the rollers closely in engagement with t e projections and depressions.

5. A socket switch comprising a contact plate consisting of plates 13, 15 and 17, said late 17 bein provided with alternate proections and epressions, a contact bar carrying rollers en aging the projections and depressions, a s aft mounted to rotate in plates 15 and' 17 and means for loosely connecting the shaft and the contact bar.

6. A socket switch com rising a contact plate consisting of an attaching plate 13 and plates 15 and 17 at right angles thereto, said plate 17 bein provi ed with alternate proections and epressions, a contact bar car- I rying rollers en aging the projections and depressions, a s aft mounted to rotate in plates 15 and 17, means for loosely connectmg the shaft and the contact bar and means for retainin the rollers closely in engagement with a ne projections and depressions,

' so that when the shaft is rotated in either directionthe rollers will be forced up the prowill be instantly forced into the epressions,

substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

. 7. A socket switch comprising an insulating block, a screw shell. secured thereto, a

spring contact plate 39 in engagement with t e screw shell, a spring contact plate 22 carryin a binding screw and adapted to be engage by the hub of a lamp, a contact plate 12 carrying a binding screw, a contact bar, said contact plate andv contact bar being I provided respectively with projections an said contact bar being provided with contact arms depressions and with rollers engaging.

sai

a shaft loosely engagm t adapted to engage springlcontact plate 39,

e contact bar and mounted to rotate in t e contact plate and means for retaining the contact bar and contact late in engagement.

8. -n a socket switch the combination with an insulating block, a screw shell, a con- '1 tact plate having alternate projections and depressions and a contact ar adapted to engage said projections and depressions and roj ections 'havingcontact arms, of a shaft mounted to rotate in the contact plate and loosely enaging the contact bar for the purpose set orth, a spring contact plate adapted to be engaged by the hub of a lamp and .a spring contact plate engaged by the screw shell and adapted to be engaged by the contact arms. 9. A socket switch comprising a contact bar and a contact plate, one of said parts being provided with alternate projections and depressions and the other part engaging said projections and depressions, a shaft loosely engaging the contact bar for the purpose set forth and having a collarbearing on the outer face of said bar, and a spring acting to draw the shaft and contact bar inward and retain the contact bar and contact plate in engagement.

' 10. A socket switch comprising a'contact bar and a contact plate, one of said parts being provided with alternate projections and depressions and the other part with rollers;

adapted to engage said projections and depressions, a shaft loosely engaging the contact bar and having a collar bearing on the outer face of said bar and a spring for retaining the rollers in engagement-with the projections and de ressions.

11. A socket switch comprising a contact bar and a contact plate, one of said parts being provided with projections and intermediate said projections-with rounded depressions, .and the other part being rovided with rollers adapted to engage sai projec tions and depressions, a shaft free to rotate in either direction and loosely engaging the contact bar and a sprin rollers in engagement with the projections and de ressions.

12.- socket switch comprising a' contact bar and a contact plate, one of said parts being'provided with four projections and intermediate said rojections with rounded do ressions and t e other part being pro vi ed with rollers adapted to engage said projections and depressions, a shaft free to to rotate in either direction and loosely engaging the contact bar and means for retaining the rollers in engagement with the projections and depressions 13. A socket switch comprising a contact bar and a contact plate, one of said parts being provided with four projections and intermediate said projections ,with rounded de ressions and the'other part being provi ed with rollers adapted to en age said projections and depressions, a sha t free to rotate in eitherdirection and to. move longitudinally, said shaft loosel'y engaging the contact bar and having a collar bearing on the outer faceof said bar and a s ring acting to draw the shaft and contact liar inward, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

14. A socket switch comprising a contact for retaining the 1 bar provided with rollers, a contact plate provided with projections, and intermediate said projections with rounded depressions, a shaft free to rotate in either direction and loosely engaging the contact bar and means for retaining the rollers in engagement with the projections and depressions.

15. A socket switch comprisin a contact bar provided with sockets and rofiers in said sockets, a contact plate provided with projections and intermediate said projections with rounded depressions, a shaft free to-rotate in either direction and to move longi- I tudinally, said shaft loosely en aging the contact bar and havin a collar iearing on the outer face of said ar and a spring for drawing the shaft and contact bar inward and causing the rollers to engage depressions instantly when the contact ar is moved in either direction past projections.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

VEY HUBBELL. -Witnesses:

A. M. Woos'rnn, S. W. ATHERroN. 

